She’s a former grade school teacher and a mom, but said owning her own business was something she couldn’t get out of her head.

“I was always a huge dog lover and I just wanted to accomplish this — it was on my bucket list,” said Lisa Peterson, owner of Hounds Around Town in Whitefish Bay.

The store, which sells dog-related supplies and food, originally operated on East Silver Spring Drive adjacent to the Fox Bay Cinema, but just moved to a new space on the same street across from Sendik’s Food Market, 500 E. Silver Spring Drive.

The lease was expiring and Peterson, along with her family, which is also involved in the business, felt it was important to stay on the same street.

“We wanted to keep the customers we worked so hard to build,” Peterson said.

She negotiated a lease at a slightly smaller space at 505 E. Silver Spring Drive. With the decrease in square footage, Peterson was able to save on her monthly rent payments.

She wouldn’t reveal how much lower her rent payments would be, but said the savings would allow the business to advertise more, give more hours to her existing employees and possibly hire a new part-time worker this year.

Peterson also expects business to pick up because of the increased retail traffic generated from the grocery store across the street as well as the two stores neighboring her shop.

“I think we are more visible in our new space and more people will stop by,” said Peterson.

When she first opened her business, it grew about 5 percent annually for the first couple of years.

In 2009, Peterson said the economic downturn caught up with her store, along with area road construction projects that slowed traffic and made it harder to get to the store.

Business dropped that year by about 10 percent and then stayed flat until the decision to move.

Peterson said had she not moved the store, there was a chance it could have closed.

“It would have been awful if they would have closed,” said Jerry Hill, Hounds Around Town customer and longtime resident of Whitefish Bay.

The 86-year-old patron said he shows up sometimes twice a day with his daughter’s dog. Hill admits many days he just stops by so the dog can get a treat, but he buys everything from dog collars and toys to treats and food for his canine companion.

Healthy local products

“I like the fact that they sell high-quality food, it’s made a world of difference in the dog’s health,” Hill said.

When Peterson first opened her store, one of her biggest priorities was selling healthy and, in many cases, locally made food. The store features and promotes products made in Wisconsin such as Sam’s Yams, Stella & Chewy’s and Fromm Family Foods.

“Our customers make a point to support us and we in turn source many of our best products from local companies,” Peterson said.

Peterson also believes it’s important to collaborate with the community and other local businesses.

Hounds sponsors the Howl-oween Pet Costume Dog Parade in conjunction with the Whitefish Bay Civic Foundation on the Friday before Halloween.

It has also sponsored the Dog Days of Summer farmer’s market on a Saturday in August each summer.

In May, Peterson said the store offered customers the chance to schedule a 15-minute “Spring Makeover” with Isle of Dogs, a Germantown manufacturer of grooming products and dog treats, whose head groomer was on hand at her store to demonstrate proper techniques for grooming and secrets to reduce shedding.

“It was one of our busiest days of the year,” Peterson said.

Peterson said she and her team also plan to beef up the store’s Facebook presence, overhaul the website and blanket the area with flyers about the new location.

“This is just a gem of a street and we want to preserve it,” Peterson said. “We try to help people understand how important it is to support local business.”

What are you the most proud of? “I am most proud of the relationships we have with the many dogs and their owners who have gotten to know us over the last five years.”

What is your biggest business challenge? “We don’t do much in terms of traditional advertising. Word of mouth has been everything to us in expanding our customer base. We anticipate that the move to our new location . . . will increase our foot and paw traffic.”

What was your best business decision? “Featuring and promoting our ‘Made in Wisconsin’ all natural foods and treats. When you’ve visited the place where your dog’s food is made and see the amazing quality of ingredients that go into the kibble, your recommendation on dog food can be said with conviction, especially given the spotless record on pet food recalls of each.”

What was your worst business decision? “Opening in 2007 certainly was poor timing on our part. Trying to be too many things to too many people initially.”

What is your favorite part of the business? “Getting to know our customers and suppliers over the years.”